Originally Posted by blacklabmarine  He, he, he.... I particularly like the part about the ugly welds coming apart - now that's funny!
George, don't let it bother you it's like the old Harley Davidson line about "for those who understand no explanation is necessary and for those that don't no explanation will do..." yet I explain for those with open minds....
I always find the anger at a product that doesn't fit our preconceived notions a bit unusual. Small-minded. Petty.
I see it all the time. A guy walks up to the boat and with a big ole-grin definitively states that that boat won't hold up in saltwater 'cause of all of the "electrolysis". "Must get awful hot!!" "Lightning will git you!!"
I take the time to explain galvanic and electrolystic corrosion, heat transfer, the farraday principle, etc. I further explain that welded aluminum alloy boats are the mainstay of the military, large yacht and workboat markets and the guy looks at me like I'm a liar. He's convinced that alloy equals freshwater jonboat and that's all there is to it! Won't be budged - has his mind made up. Closed for input.
The welds: not done to be pretty like a t-top but pretty does not equal strong. The welder's hand behind those welds has 4 US patents on welding including a very rare patent on a welding process. He's welded nuclear vessels from Brazil to Vermont. The company he started - Welding Services, Inc. is the world's largest specialty welding company and has over 1000 employees. If a lifetime guarantee isn't suitable I don't know what else to say. If you'd rather have a boat with a balsa-cored bottom that is warranteed for 5 years I wish you nothing but the best! Blistering, water intrusion, spider cracks, wavy bottoms, air voids, de-lamination - all fun stuff I'm sure.
These boats are made for a very small slice of the boating pie. Most boats in the 20'-70' recreational market get used less than 100 hours a year. They aren't taken out in rough conditions if possible and almost never contact another vessel, rocks, oil rigs. For this relatively light-duty usage fiberglass does very, very well and is very smooth and shiny to boot!
When people buy boats to go in harms way - Fire boats, Patrol Boats, Rescue Boats, Military Boats, Round the world sailors, etc - they primarily use alloy. Why? Bloody tough. When your life depends on the boat, when there's someone sinking or on fire in a hellish storm and you HAVE to go out you go in aluminum alloy.
Is it for everyone? Nope. Is it for most people? Nope. But if you use your boat hard, if you abuse your boat, if you must go in harms way then....
Lastly a small story...
I grew up with a commercial fisherman named Charlie Johnson. Charlie is a commercial swordfisherman who regulary travels in his 110' alloy boat 7,000 miles to fish off Uraguay, he fishes the Grand Banks and was out during the perfect storm (he taught Linda Greenlaw how to fish). He's owned the same boat for 22 years logging thousands and thousands and thousands of miles. He's somehow able to keep his catch (which is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars) cold in his aluminum boat, he's been in literal 50' seas and his alloy boat is still working.
Charlie chooses aluminum alloy - I wonder why? |
